Saturday October 5Th, 2013

Celebrating the Unsung Heroes of American Music

There was a time when popular music was distilled from desperation, striving, raw ambition and a healthy fear of the damnation of the Lord. Menace was in the air as the odds were damn near impossible to beat, getting out of the fields and into a Cadillac, proving to the world that toughness and talent could take a poverty-stricken kid to the bright lights of town. Songs with an edge, a secret code, a punk energy that is undeniable — that is the music of the Ponderosa Stomp. Be it soul singers, country creole, or young rock n’ rollers leading the way for the next generation to blossom in garages around the country, the music fanatics of the Stomp bulldoze the slick detritus of contemporary music to find the rawest, deepest stuff out there, simmering under the surface, waiting to be rediscovered before it’s too late. Artists who could nail vocal takes in the studio, without the benefit of auto-tune or even adequate microphones, were the order of the day, and they invented pop music. They are still out there among us, and the Stomp exists to celebrate these architects of American music.

The concert this year includes many artists who no longer perform anywhere, including Chris Clark, the first white soul singer on Motown; the rowdy outsider of soul, Swamp Dogg; garage original, Ty Wagner, and early rockers like Eddie Daniels and producer/songwriter/singer Boogaloo. Baby Washington and Maxine Brown slayed audiences at the Ponderosa Stomp at Lincoln Center two years ago, earning slots on the official festival this year, while the 60's Sunset Strip is represented by The Sloths!

The 2013 Ponderosa Stomp Concert will take place October 4th and 5th at the Rock ‘N’ Bowl™, 3000 S. Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana.